[Federal Register: April 26, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 79)]
[Notices]
[Page 21649-21650]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr26ap10-81]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R2-ES-2010-N064; 20124-1113-0000-C2]
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Attwater's
Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido attwateri) Recovery Plan, Second
Revision
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of document availability: revised recovery plan.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
availability of the Attwater's Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido
attwateri) Recovery Plan, Second Revision. A recovery plan was
originally completed for the Attwater's prairie-chicken in 1983 and
revised in 1993.
ADDRESSES: An electronic copy of the recovery plan can be obtained from
our website at http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/Library/. Copies of the
recovery plan are also available by request. To obtain a copy, contact
Terry Rossignol by U.S. mail at Attwater Prairie Chicken National
Wildlife Refuge, P.O. Box 519, Eagle Lake, TX 77434; by phone at (979)
234-3021; or by e-mail at Terry_Rossignol@fws.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Terry Rossignol (see ADDRESSES).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended (16 U.S.C.
1531 et seq.), requires the development of recovery plans for listed
species, unless such a plan would not promote the conservation of a
particular species. Recovery plans help guide the recovery effort by
describing actions considered necessary for the conservation of the
species, and estimating time and costs for implementing the measures
needed
[[Page 21650]]
for recovery. A recovery plan was originally completed for the
Attwater's prairie-chicken in 1983 and revised in 1993, but the
recommendations contained in those plans are outdated.
Section 4(f) of the Act requires that we provide public notice and
an opportunity for public review and comment during recovery plan
development. In fulfillment of this requirement, we made the draft
second revision of the recovery plan for Attwater's prairie-chicken
available for public comment from November 19, 2007, through January
18, 2008 (November 19, 2007; 72 FR 65058). We also conducted peer
review at this time. Based on this input, we revised and finalized the
recovery plan, and summarized public comments in an appendix.
The Attwater's prairie-chicken was listed as endangered with risk
of extinction in 1967 (March 11, 1967; 32 FR 4001). This listing was
``grandfathered'' into the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The
Attwater's prairie-chicken represents the southernmost subspecies of
Tympanuchus cupido and currently occurs in the wild at only three
locations: The Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge
(Colorado County, Texas), the Texas City Prairie Preserve (Galveston
County, Texas), and a private ranch in Goliad County, Texas. Annual
counts are conducted every spring on the prairie-chicken's booming
grounds, and approximately 90 birds remained in these 3 populations as
of March 2009. Counts for 2010 will be conducted in April. In addition,
approximately 157 individuals were held in captivity at the Abilene Zoo
(Abilene, Texas), Caldwell Zoo (Tyler, Texas), Fossil Rim Wildlife
Center (Glen Rose, Texas), Houston Zoo (Houston, Texas), San Antonio
Zoo (San Antonio, Texas), Sea World of Texas (San Antonio, Texas), and
Texas A&M University (College Station, Texas) as of December 31, 2009.
Habitat destruction and degradation are the primary factors
contributing to historic population declines. Current threats include
extremely small populations, habitat and population fragmentation
resulting in genetic isolation, diseases and parasites in both wild and
captive settings, inability of captive breeding facilities to produce
large numbers of captive-reared birds that are capable of survival and
reproduction in wild habitats, and poor brood survival in wild
populations. Attwater's prairie-chicken recovery must be focused on
three primary areas: (1) Habitat management, (2) captive and wild
population management, and (3) public outreach.
Authority: The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the
Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).
Dated: March 17, 2010.
Benjamin N. Tuggle,
Regional Director, Region 2.
[FR Doc. 2010-9605 Filed 4-23-10; 8:45 am]
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